Spectre (DC Comics character)

The Spectre
The Spectre
	Art by Alex Ross
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940)
Created by	Jerry Siegel; Bernard Baily
In-story information
Alter ego	Aztar; Various hosts
Species	Ghost
Team affiliations	Justice Society of America; All-Star Squadron; Archangels; Justice League; Justice League Dark
Partnerships	Human hosts:; Jim Corrigan; Hal Jordan; Crispus Allen
Notable aliases	The Spirit of Vengeance; The Spirit of Redemption; The Avenging Wrath of God; The Ghostly Guardian; The Man of Darkness
Abilities	Nigh-Omnipotence; Nigh-Omniscience; Omnipresent; Divine Empowerment; Expertise in aviation, occultism, intimidation, unarmed combat, and weaponry;
Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media
Partnerships	Human hosts:; Oliver Queen (Arrowverse)
Schedule
The Spectre
	More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940), the debut of the Spectre, cover art by Bernard Baily
Publication information
Schedule	vol. 1: Bi-monthly; vols. 2–4: Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Publication date	vol. 1: November/December 1967 – May/June 1969; vol. 2: April 1987 – November 1989; 1988 Annual; vol. 3: December 1992 – February 1998; 1995 Annual; vol. 4: March 2001 – May 2003
No. of issues	vol. 1: 10; vol. 2: 31, plus 1 Annual; vol. 3: 64 (numbered 1 – 63, includes a #0), plus 1 Annual; vol. 4: 27
Main character(s)	All: The Spectre; vols. 1–3: Jim Corrigan; vol. 4: Hal Jordan; Infinite Crisis – Blackest Night: Crispus Allen
Creative team
Written by	(vol. 1); Gardner Fox (1-2, 6-7), Neal Adams (4-5), Mike Friedrich (3, 9-10), Steve Skeates (9); (vol. 2); Doug Moench; (vol. 3); John Ostrander; (vol. 4); J.M. DeMatteis

The Spectre is the name of several antiheroes who appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version first appeared in More Fun Comics #52 (February 1940).^[1] The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Bernard Baily although some sources attribute creator credit solely to Siegel, limiting Baily to the artist assigned to the feature.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The Spectre is a divine entity representing vengeance on behalf of The Presence, considered God in the context of Abrahamic religion. Initially a demon named Aztar, he rebelled against God but later sought forgiveness and was granted a divine role. As the Spectre, Aztar possesses immense power, making him one of the most formidable beings in the DC Universe. He is bound to a human host who assists him in judging the transgressions of humanity and other beings, determining suitable punishments. These judgments are often delivered in a harsh and creatively ironic manner.^[5]^[6] The Spectre has had multiple hosts throughout its history. The primary host is James "Jim" Corrigan, a Gotham City detective who was killed and resurrected as the Spectre. Hal Jordan also became the Spectre to redeem himself after his actions as Parallax, becoming a force of redemption. Crispus Allen, another Gotham detective, served as a host despite his doubts about God's existence.

The character has appeared in various media adaptations. Most notable, the character appeared within the Arrowverse. One version appears on Constantine portrayed by Emmett J. Scanlan^[7] and another alternate version appears in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, portrayed by Stephen Lobo.^[8]

^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
^ Greenberger, Bob, "Of Ghostly Guardians and Resurrections," The Spectre (vol. 2) #1 (April 1987), DC Comics, ("letter" column).
^ Thomas, Roy, "Secrets Behind the Origins Dept.", Secret Origins (vol. 2) #15 (June 1987) DC Comics (sidebar to letter column, second page).
^ Bails, Jerry, "Foreword", The Golden Age Spectre Archives Volume 1, 2003, DC Comics, p. 6.
^ "Spectre". 2021-12-03. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
^ Scott, Melanie; DK (2019-03-12). DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide, New Edition. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-4654-8639-4.
^ Cite error: The named reference IGN2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Lobo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.

[2] Greenberger, Bob, "Of Ghostly Guardians and Resurrections," The Spectre (vol. 2) #1 (April 1987), DC Comics, ("letter" column).

[3] Thomas, Roy, "Secrets Behind the Origins Dept.", Secret Origins (vol. 2) #15 (June 1987) DC Comics (sidebar to letter column, second page).

[4] Bails, Jerry, "Foreword", The Golden Age Spectre Archives Volume 1, 2003, DC Comics, p. 6.

[:0-5] "Spectre". 2021-12-03. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2024-02-07.

[:1-6] Scott, Melanie; DK (2019-03-12). DC Comics Ultimate Character Guide, New Edition. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-4654-8639-4.

[IGN2-7] Cite error: The named reference IGN2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Lobo-8] Cite error: The named reference Lobo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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